February is National Children’s Dental Health Month.
The dentist is often feared by both parents and kids. It is important to help kids form a positive relationship with the dentist at an early age. Did you know that the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) recommends that a child go to the dentist by age 1 or within 6 months after the first tooth erupts?
I am a mom of 4 girls who love visiting the dentist, and I have worked in the dental field for the last 15 years.
I am sharing my 5 tips to help kids love going to the dentist.
1. Start the Education at Home – I started prepping my girls to go to the dentist at a very young age. I have a handful of dental books that we have mixed in with the nighttime routine. These books have all helped start the conversation about the dentist and the importance of brushing our teeth. We keep the verbiage simple in our house and use words like “sugar bugs” to explain what needs to brushed off every morning and night. When we talk about going to the dentist, I review that we need to keep our mouths open wide so the dentist can count all our teeth. We talk about how the dentist gives them a “tickle polish” to make their teeth “sparkly”. We also practice at home by counting and brushing the teeth of our stuffed animals.
2. Buy FUN Dental Products – Toothbrush companies like Colgate and OralB have long marketed to kids with character toothbrushes for whatever cartoon is currently hot at the moment. My girls have always loved (and fought over) the princess and Disney toothbrushes that come home from our pediatric dentist. I just made the switch to electric Kids toothbrushes because it really does clean better between the teeth and sweeps away more plaque. Good news, many of those electric toothbrushes come with characters or can be decorated with stickers. Other fun products to add to the mix are wild flossers, gum chucks and kids flavored mouthwash.
3. Pick a Pediatric Dental Office – Pediatric offices specialize in one thing – KIDS! They have the right technology to make treating children a breeze (digital X-rays, painless injections, laser dentistry, TV’s in the ceiling for distraction and more). Their offices are often bright and have colorful themes. The latest kid’s cartoon is playing on a loop in every operatory. The waiting room is filled with fun toys, video games and more to keep your child distracted from the purpose of the visit. Pediatric offices are also trained in the verbiage to use with children to make them feel comfortable and they are really good at making that happen.
4. Visit the Dentist Every 6 Months – Now you are thinking, why is that going to make my kids love the dentist? Hopefully, it will allow the dentist to catch any issues as soon as they develop. The sooner you can discover a problem, the less invasive it will be to fix. Your children will thank you for that and so will your wallet. Get on a 6-month routine and always schedule your next appointment before you leave the office. Gone are the days of sending you a postcard to remind you to call and schedule your next appointment. We live in the digital age where your dental office can text or email you reminders for your upcoming appointments.
5. Brush Twice a Day – Seems simple enough, right? There is a saying in dental, “You don’t have to brush all your teeth, just the ones you want to keep.” Good oral health is linked to the overall health of your body. Brushing twice a day is going to help your children get into a healthy routine, hopefully keep them out of the Cavity Club and make your dental visits FUN!
What else do you do at home to help kids love their dental visits?
